


I was nothing before you saved me

by StarrBomb



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alfor and Coran save Lance, Altean lance, BAMF Lance, Body guard Lance, But He Gets Better, Found Family, Hurt Lance, Hurt/Comfort, I made an Altean Holiday, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, Lance Angst, Lance is Allura’s body guard, allura and lance friendship, and he get it, boy needs a hug, getting family back or so help me, ill add more tags when I think up some more stuff, lost family, orphan lance, street fighter Lance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2020-01-31 20:35:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18598939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarrBomb/pseuds/StarrBomb
Summary: You guys have probably already seen this on my tumblr as well, I’m just it moving over on to here. If you haven’t seen it then please give it a look!~~~~~To say that his life was nothing before he came to the castle would have been an understatement. He was a street rat; an orphan, homeless, willing to do almost anything to survive on the streets of Altea.But then one day, when Lance thought that it was finally the end of his miserable life; he was found and given a second chance at life, he was given a purpose to live. And he vowed upon every deity that he would always be by the princess’ side, ready to protect her at all cost.For that is the duty of a royal body guard.





	1. Not every beginning starts off happy

**Author's Note:**

> Like I said in the summary, this started on my Tumblr, and I finally decided to move it over onto here! And who knows, there maybe a new chapter coming up with this as well ;)

To say that his life was nothing before he came to the castle would have been an understatement. He was a street rat; an orphan, homeless, willing to do almost anything to survive on the streets of Altea.

Begging, stealing, he did it all, hoping to scrap by with at least a small piece of the happiness and joy he sees on the crowds of Alteans every day. Lance isn’t exactly sure when it all started, but he somehow got into underground fight rings to try and get some money for scraps of food and clothing. He wasn’t very good at it. Okay, he wasn’t good at it at all. He would get beaten to a pulp night after night, nurse his wounds during the day while begging for money on the streets and would come back limping to the rings the next night.

Over time though, he began to learn how to fight and survive and surprisingly he won his first match after months and months of losing night after night. 

  
He was 9 years old then. 

  
And as he slowly moved up in the ranks, his skills became more confident and sharp; he was beginning to really feel like an actual threat in the ring rather than someone whose barely surviving in it. by the time he was twelve, he was winning half the nights and was able to actually afford warm meals and less than meager clothing. But with each win in the ring there also came the anger and resentment of those he had beaten; and one day that anger came back to dish out some of its own pain. 

He’s not sure how they found him; he always made sure to sleep in a completely different alleyway than where the fights were, paranoia fueling his sleeping habits everyday, scared of being mugged in the middle of the night or Incase something like this ever happening, although it isn’t exactly easy to hide on the streets. Before he even knew what was happening three of his past competitors had surrounded him on all sides in one of the back alleys and they didn’t hold back. With every punch and kick they unleashed onto him, slurs and insults spattered his bruised and bleeding body about how weak he was, how he had to be a cheater, about how pathetic he was; how he was nothing and that he would never amount to anything in his life. 

That he would always just be that.

  
A nothing. 

  
And Lance could never denied it. 

  
He knew they were right; he was a nothing, and that’s all he would ever be.

  
It felt like hours before they finally decided that he had had enough. bleeding and broken and Thrown into a heap of trash, they left him there in that alley way without even a hesitant glance back, not an once of remorse or regret tainting their minds. Left there like the trash he was thrown in. He looked up to the sky, dusk still falling over Altea giving it an array of punks and purples to decorate the sky and maybe even some stars already peaking through too, Lance can’t really tell with how one eye is swelled shut and the other has something in it making it hard to see.

The last thing before Lance can see before he blacked out from the pain was some sort of tall figure standing at the entry of the alley, looking down at him. Most likely witnessing the end of his short and meaningless life. He feels sorry for the man that has to watch him die.

  
Lance was surprised when he woke up in side of a bright room, tumbling out of a healing pod and into someone’s arms. Everything felt so cold and his limbs felt like jelly. The body that had catched him easily moves him from the floor and onto a bed, making sure that he was comfortable before sitting down himself.

“Well my boy, you sure gave us quite the fright there, but I’m quite glad that you seem to be all healed up.” The almost too chipper Altean says next to him, grinning at him as if he was actually happy to see Lance. “Wha- where….?” Lance staggers out, his voice feeling rough from being barely used back in the streets and the coldness that still clings to his body causes him to shiver and hunch in on himself. 

“Ah, yes. You are in the Castle of Lions my boy!” The man said as if it was nothing. Wait…. HE WAS ACTUALLY IN THE ROYAL CASTLE?! “Oh don’t look so surprised my boy. You’ll catch gurtnels in your mouth with it hanging open like that.” Lance, now conscious of his mouth, snaps it closed with a loud clack of his teeth hitting each other. But he just couldn’t believe it; he was in the castle of lions? But why?! He was nothing but alleyway garbage, his life didn’t mean anything to someone in the royal family. 

  
“Wh-why am I here?” Lance was finally able to whisper out, still stunned by the whole moment; expecting for it all to just be some last minute dream before he dies or for him to wake up back on the streets. 

  
“Well, we found you in that back alley bleeding and obviously severely injured, and we just couldn’t just leave you to die now. Besides, we had a feeling that all you really needed was a second chance.” The strange man answered, pulling on his mustache in a somewhat whimsical way. 

  
Lance scrunches up his face in confusion, asking “we?” As the doors to the medical bay whisk open and a dark man with completely white hair walks in, his head held high and his presence practically engulfing the room as he walks in. “Yes, we. Coran and myself found you.”  The man from before turns around, somehow sounding both surprised at the other’s appearance and yet completely aware of what’s going on around him“Ah! King Alfor, you got my message!” 

Lance can only look in awestruck as he watches the man he was once talking to greet the king. THE KING OF THE ENTIRE PLANET OF ALTEA! Like he was a personal friend of his for years. Lance somehow was able to will his legs to work as he gets off the bed and clambers to the floor in a kneeling position, afraid to even look up at the king.

  
He shouldn’t be here. 

  
He shouldn’t be here where there is royalty.

  
He isn’t anything. 

  
“Young boy, why do you kneel?” The king asks.

  
“Because you’re the king.” Lance simply replies, a slight tremor in his voice shaking his words.

  
Lance can hear a small chuckle above him before the king responds “then as king, I ask that you stand up and talk to me face to face.”

With some hesitation, Lance does as he is asked while still trying his best to avert his gaze. “I have just a small fraction of an idea of what you have lived through, and the fact that you are still so young and yet have the eyes of someone who has seen so much is heart wrenching. So I would like to give you a second chance at a better life.” The king starts, letting his voice carry his warmth and openness to Lance like an invitation. “Young man, how old are you?”    
“I-I’m 12, your highness. I m-mean, I Think I am.” Lance stammers out, trying so hard to not be persuaded by whatever offer is about to come so easily. This isn’t the first time someone has tried to offer Lance a ‘second chance at life’ and he doesn’t want to be fooled again, that was a mistake he would never make again, no matter what anyone says, Lance will only ever be a street rat, and that all anyone will ever see him as. But yet he can’t help himself from feeling a small fraction of hope bloom in his chest. 

  
“How well-versed are you in combat?” 

  
“I-I think I’m decent at it, y-your highness.” 

  
“Hmmmm, I’m sure that you will be a quick study.” The king comments, earning a puzzled look on the young altean’s face. 

  
“What is your name?” 

  
At that question he pauses; caught off guard by such a small question. No one has ever really asked for his name before; no one ever really cared to know. And yet this man, the king of the entire Planet  is asking a lowlife, a nobody like him his name. “L-Lance.” He’s able to stutter out, looking at the floor in embarrassment as tears that he thought had long dried up  years ago rise to the surface and threaten to spill down his cheeks. 

  
“Well, Lance, would you like to have a job here as a guard? I’m sure with the right training and-“ 

  
“Re-really?” 

  
“Well yes, I’ve been meaning to find someone special to become a personal guard for my daughter and I believe you are the person I’ve been looking for.” The king says, a smile on his face so full of confidence in Lance that when he does finally look up at Coran and the king, tears are streaming down his face. “But…..I’m a nobody. A dirty street rat. Why would you want me? I’ve done nothing to make me worthy of even working as a Dish washer here! I don’t deserve to even be at your feet! So why?! Why do you look at me with that look in your eyes?!” Lance is telling now, so over come with emotions he can barely decipher let alone express without screaming. This is all just too much, he just wants to know why! He falls to the floor, fighting and losing to keep his tears from falling, his hiccups bouncing around in the silent room. 

  
Coran kneels down to Lance’s crumpled form sets a hand on his shoulder, giving it a small squeeze as he says “because my boy, you deserve the chance to live a better life.”


	2. First impressions

It has been months now since he was taken in by the King and began his training to become the princess’s personal guard. Although he still had quite some reserved feelings about all of it, and how it all felt too good to be true. But this was Lance’s chance to……...well, he isn’t even sure about what this may lead to, but he knows it’s a chance that he couldn’t waste. 

Day in and day out, Lance met with the king and took lessons in the art of combat and weaponry ; sometimes, if the king was too busy, he would meet and train with some of the more seasoned guards or even one of the other paladins of Voltron if they had a spare moment. Lance wouldn’t waste a second of his training, pushing himself to his limit everyday. he kept his eyes steeled and picked up on anything that may help him learn faster and to keep himself, and some day the princess, safe. 

After training, or when someone would kick him out of the training deck because he pushed himself too far, he would meet with Coran who had refused to let Lance call him by his official title since day one, and would be taught proper manners and how to hold himself in front of higher status people and during high class events. he was taught how to talk and act towards royalty, how to proper bow and how to know which names to use for different levels of royalty (Lance thought they all were called Lord or Lady, except for the royal family). Coran made sure he knew everything that he needed to know to become the princesses personal guard.

a princess that he hasn’t met yet. 

at all. 

and that probably scared Lance more than anything that some of the jealous guards have thrown at him during training or the overwhelming amount of information that has been thrown at him. all of it will be fore-not if the princess doesn’t like him. If she refuses to take him as her body guard, he’s going back out to the streets and he’s not even sure he’ll last even a month out there, not with those underground fighters lurking in the streets. 

after the first few weeks of training and preparing himself, Coran had told him that the underground fight ring that Lance was once apart of was found by the royal guards and has been broken up. Lance believes Coran was telling him that to try and make him feel better and safer now that the organization is disbanded, but Lance knows the truth. while the fight ring itself has been dismantled, the fighters are still out there more angry than ever. and Lance knows deep down that they think he snitched to get a position in the castle; he knows that if he was thrown out of the castle he would be a dead man. 

but those thoughts didn’t scare him into breaking, to try and run away and hide for the rest of his life. he had that beaten out of him years ago. instead, it has only pushed him further in trying to be perfect in every way, in both his studies and in his physical training, even when he knew it wasn’t possible, he still pushed farther than before, sometimes farther than his body could take leading him to have more than a couple of stents in the healing pods and having Coran and sometimes even some of the older guards worrying over him like he was actually important.

but at this moment it felt like all of that work doesn’t matter as he struggles to put on his new official uniform, much like what the regular guards wear, but with more blue and pink accents than the usual colors.

Coran had to practically put the suit on him himself he was shaking so bad, all of the nerves he forced away rearing their ugly heads as he stands in the grand hall, facing the doors to his impending judgement. 

today is the day, after a little over 3/4th of a year of non-stop training for this position and wishing to every type of goddess out there, he was to meet the princess and start his duties as her personal guard.

or as Lance liked to call it, his day of reckoning.V 

Coran was standing next to him as he waited in the grand hall for the king to bring his daughter in, making sure that Lance’s clothes were speckless, chatting nonsense into his ears about what his first day as the royal advisor was like, trying to help ease some of the young boy’s nerves and tension. Lance gave him a rare small smile as a way of thanking him, scared that if he were to talk his voice would give way to just how nervous he was. Coran returned his smile with his own full grin, mustache curling up more with it. with one more pat on his shoulder, Coran returns to standing beside Lance just as the large doors begin to open as the king walked in with a small girl by his side, her white hair was held back from her face by a decorative pin of a juniberry flower that probably cost more than Lance’s life; she was obviously quite young, having to reach up slightly to take ahold of her father’s hand while the other held up the skirt of her dress. she looked like she wasn’t even ten years old yet, most likely nine. 

 

Lance isn’t sure if that’s a good thing or not; he may of come from the streets where the only thing that keeps you alive is to lie your way to surviving, but even he knew just how brutally honest kids can be.

 

they stopped just a few feet in front of him and Lance bows to them, his face at the same level as the princess’s own face. “Allura, this is Lance. he will be your new personal guard.” the king introduced, prompting Lance to speak. Lance prays one last time that he won’t stutter or his voice won’t crack, “it is an honor to serve you, your highness.” and if he wasn’t looking for it, Lance would have almost missed the quick look of disappointment cross her face before it was quickly covered up by a smile. her voice was light and yet loud in the ever silent room as she gives her verdict if Lance would stay or go. “it’s nice to meet you Lance.” she does a small curtsy to him and after the king explained more to both of them about Lance’s role as her personal guard and they both were sent off, the princess to her studies and Lance three steps behind her. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  


it’s been a couple of weeks now since Lance has started being the princess’s royal guard and he can say with all honesty that the princess was possibly one of the most bored girls ever; well, at least he knows that he’s bored out of his mind. all she ever does is go from her lessons to her room to the dining room when it’s time for meals. and usually she’s eating alone; both the king and queen too busy with their royal duties to always eat their meals in the dining hall with their daughter. 

 

it was quite a boring life, but Lance didn’t let his boredom get the best of him. he still stayed vigilant about the princess’s safety; always checking the food that would be served to her, keeping a keen eye out for any lurking shadows or for new faces in the castle that may approach her, pretending to be a guard or maid. but then again, no one ever did to begin with. not the veteran guards they would walk past, or any of the maids that served her. no one actually talked to her at all unless it was her teachers, and even then it felt more like they seemed more or less reciting the books instead of taking the time to get to know her highness and working with her interests to help her learn. it seems that everyone doesn’t seem to notice just how being treated like some impossibly perfect person that they can’t possibly talk to does to her.

But Lance notices.

he can see just how much it hurts her that no one is willing to try and get to know her. and he knows just how hard it hurts to be treated like that; albeit, he was more accustomed to people refusing to treat him anything more than trash. but it was still the same treatment of forced isolation, even when it seemed like they were surrounded by people. he recognizes the pain that she tries to hide from everyone. and Lance wanted to do something, anything to make her feel less alone. it’s his job to protect her from anything, and Lance decides that he should try and protect her from loneliness as well, he knows just how dangerous being alone can be. 

the problem is he’s not exactly sure how to do that. he’s never really had to comfort anyone before, and the only only people who have actually shown any sort of compassion towards him are Coran, the king and the rest of the paladins and a few of the castle staff, and usually he wasn’t even sure if any of it was actual compassion or just some other kind of motive. but he had to try something. 

and that something decided to appear during the princess’s down time the next day. Lance had been talking with the maid who had brought the princess a snack, not uncommon now that she only really stays in her room, he had thanked her and closed the door behind him as the maid walks away down the hall. when Lance turns around to give the princess the plate of food, instead of being in the room like before, she was halfway hanging out the window, a rope of what Lance could only assume as sheets and old dresses tied together was also hanging out of the window as well, one end of it tied to her bedpost. they stared at each other for a few tense tics, both frozen in shock. thankfully, Lance moved first and quick, easily reaching the window on the other side of the room and pulling her back into the room before she fell off.

“what were you doing up there?!what if you fell off the window?!you could’ve gotten seriously hurt!” Lance yells, looking her over for any sign of bruising, he did pull her off the window sill pretty roughly. the princess still in shock of being caught and the fact that Lance had actually admonished her let him lead her away from the window and closer to the middle of the room. but apparently Lance’s brain hasn’t caught up to his mouth yet as he continues “ if you had wanted to go outside, you could have asked. it isn’t like you’re required to stay inside the castle, you don’t have to sneak out.” she blinked owlishly at him for a minute before finally saying “you...you actually care?” her comment catches Lance off guard as his mind finally catches up to himself, but the fact she wasn’t angry at him for speaking out of turn to her and actually surprised that he cared about her just urges him on. “well of course i care.” he said matter of factly; it was the one thing he was sure of about himself now. 

at first it was about getting a chance to stay alive, to keep himself safe. but then he had to break out of that mindset during his training; it wasn’t about him anymore. it was about her. it was about keeping her safe from anything that might do her harm, even if it hurts him. when he first started his duties, he was never sure if he could actually do that, to put himself in harm’s way for this girl that he knew next to nothing about. while he tests every food that comes to her, he knows that it isn’t poisoned; whenever they walk through the halls, he knows that none of guards would hurt her, not consciously anyways. he had never had to put someone else before himself before now, and he was scared that in the face danger, that those old instincts would kick in and he would protect himself before her. but through the weeks he’s been by her side he’s seen sides to her that many people have seen, and he has seen the sides they haven’t. he sees how she helps some mice that had sneaked their way into the castle hide from Honerva’s cat when she comes to visit; he sees how she will often deflate when her parents are too busy and can’t be with her, he sees how excited she gets watching the paladins of voltron train with each other. and through it all it has cemented in him how much she is alone. he knew as soon as he saw the first time she truly seemed happy that it’s because of her that he has been given his new lease on life, even if she doesn’t realize it, and he would gladly do anything to make sure that she was safe.

when it was obvious how much his words truly meant to her, Lance gathers up the courage to ask “now what was it about today that made you suddenly want to go and try something like that?” it was probably the first time Lance has ever seen the princess flush and seem embarrassed about her actions, as if she finally realized how dangerous it was and how silly for her to try something like it. she sinks down to the floor, her dress pooling all around her. “I...I wanted to go to the juniberry festival. papa always takes me and momma to it, but he had to go and do a mission with Voltron and momma’s sick right now.” Lance lets out a sigh and kneels down to her, trying his best to give her a warm smile, feeling victorious as she gives him her own smile, not the fake one she puts on for others, this one is small like his but yet seems to make her face light up and to cause wrinkles beside her markings. “well then it seems that i have no other choice but to take you there myself, your highness.” he says, standing up and holding out his hand to hers. she looks at it and blurts out “does this make us friends?” Lance is a bit stunned by the question; he’s not really sure. he’s never had a friend before. well, sure there’s Coran, but Lance doesn’t see him as a friend, more like family. but a friend? maybe this could be a fresh start for both of them. “I’m not really sure if it does, but i would like to be your friend. just know, your highness, that as long as i live i will be by your side and protect you. both as your personal guard...as well as your friend.” Lance proclaims, leaning down just a tad more for the princess to take ahold of his hand. she looks up at his face, searching for any sign or hint of a lie in his words, before happily taking his hand and pulling herself back up onto her feet. 

 

“well, since we’re friends now. I don’t want you to keep calling me ‘your highness’, it’s not something that friends call each other. just call me Allura.” the prin- Allura says, swinging both of their arms back and forth as she practically leads them down the halls towards the hangars. “of course, Allura.” Lance replies, happy to see such a real smile on her face. 

while Allura is almost jumping up and down in the seat of the small shuttle, Lance explains to Coran and a few of the guards where they are going, promising to be back by nightfall. once he got the all clear from them, he sits down in the pilot's seat and starts up the vehicle. “are you ready, princess Allura?” and with a determined nod from her, Lance drives out of the hangars and into a bright and clear day.


	3. The beginning of something new

It wasn’t too hard to keep an eye on Allura during the festival, not with the way she pulled him to each stall and never let go of his hand. When he had told her during the ride there that he had never actually been to the festival, he hadn’t expected his princess to be shocked so much by it. He had grown up in the slumps, he barely had enough money for clothes and food, let alone enough to go to a festival. The most ever saw of it was the crowds of people coming from it, dressed in colorful clothes that he could only dream of, children skipping by him without a care in the world with flowers adorning their hair and some carrying them around their necks. 

 

Lance also hadn’t expected her to take it upon herself to show him almost everything the festival had to offer. And it was quite enjoyable; He couldn’t help but smile at how excited his princess was, dragging him around and showing him all of the finely crafted toys and jewelry and trinkets that was for sale. She even bought a couple of the ones she liked the most, saying that they were for her mother and father when they returned to the Castle. Lance even got something for Coran, a mustache comb made out of the sky rocks that had fallen early that season. 

 

Next, she had pulled him towards a colorful array of flags and ribbons that seem to flutter and move with the wind in a sort of dance. It was when they had made it to the front of a very large crowd that he realized it was actually a dance. Many of the women and men dressed in bold and sometimes contradicting colors moving to and fro and weaving through one another seamlessly, long ribbons tied to their wrists and ankles billowing and moving with both the wind and their movements. The drums and other musical instruments setting the pace and making the dance somehow even more lively than it already was seeming to thrum into his very bones and heart. 

 

Once the Dane has finished and the applause slowly faded as the crowd dispersed, Allura was son dragging him off to more stalls and other performances, regaling him with tales of the past years she had gone with the King and Queen. Laughing at her own jokes and mischiefs from before, Lance could see just how much this festival meant to her; it wasn’t just the festival she was upset about, it sounds as though this is one of the few times that she and her family could all get together and just spend time as a family and not as royals. 

 

The day had somehow comes to a close much faster than Lance realized. with the suns setting on the horizon and everyone heading towards the wild juniberry field, many of the adults sitting down in the soft grass and watching the sunset coloring the flowers in a way that seemed to make the flowers look as though they were alight themselves. While most of the children who hadn’t been tuckered out yet race around the field in games of tag and knights, most others were simply sitting in their own circles weaving the Juniberry flowers into crowns and adorning each other with them. Lance and Allura has taken their seats in the field a bit farther away from the crowd, watching as the suns finally gave way to the night sky in a vast array of colors that Lance has never seen before, as if all of the colors of the world were battling each other to take over the sky, and the stars that never appeared in the slumps decorated the sky.

 

It was one of the most beautiful things Lance has ever seen; it makes it feel as thought the path he has now been given in his life is the right one, the one he should have been on all along. To actually experienced these things, moments just so many families and children take for granted that he never even had a chance to even wish for, it made almost everything in his life worth it. He’s glad that he was able to do this for his princess, he can see why she would have wanted to escape the castle even for just a moment of this. Speaking of, he looks back to the Princess and notices how she keeps nodding off, leaning into his side and trying her best to stay awake just that bit longer. 

 

“Princess? I believe it’s time that head back to the castle now.” He suggests, taking the hint that she wasn’t going to ask it herself. With a nod in agreement, Lance begins to pick up their bags before holding out his free hand to his princess who was trying to get herself to stay awake just a bit more. 

 

as they make their way back to the flight pod, Allura pulls at his hand and gets him to stop walking. “princess Allura?” she tugs on his hand again, her other hand held behind her back. Lance kneels down next to her, placing their gifts onto the group and placing his hand onto the hilt of his sword. she pulls out something from behind her back and shows it to him; a flower crown made of juniberry flowers, she must have made it for him while he wasn’t looking. Still quite sleepy but determined, she carefully lifts her hands up and places the crown on top of his head, fiddling with it until she was certain that it was on correctly before giving him a decisive nod before taking his hand back in her own and leading them back to the ship. he quickly grabs their bags and dutifully follows behind her. Once inside the shuttle, Allura quickly falls asleep in her seat. Lance reaches up to touch the crown, feeling the soft petals and smelling the sweetness that comes from them for the very first time in his life. 

 

It truly was a beautiful day to behold.


	4. Happy Gorgory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aka, I make up a holiday that’s like christmas and New Years combined.

This isn’t exactly what he expected a diplomatic dinner to be like.

 

Lance had expected it to be filled with small talk about the state and welfare of their planets, or maybe some stoic silence as they ate together. He even expected there to be some arguments between them about relations between each other or battle plans for upcoming battles. You know, politics and stuff. Okay, so he doesn’t know exactly what a Diplomatic dinner is.

 

But he is sure it’s not suppose to be like this.

 

Then again, these are the Paladins of Voltron. Lance can’t honestly say that this was completely out of the question with them. 

 

The dining hall was alight with laughter and cheers to victory of past battles. Lance dutifully stood behind Allura’s chair, watching as the leader of Nalquod vibrantly tells her tales of Voltron’s most recent battles; the story constantly interrupted by the others at the table, inputting their own accounts of events in between bouts of laughter and squawks of embarrassment. It was truly one of the few times Lance has seen his princess so happy, not a fake smile in sight.

 

Lance can’t blame her, not with how lively and enthralling the whole place seems. As he looks over the room, over the table of leaders that he has had the honor of meeting many times since his arrival at the castle and remember just how much they have helped him.

 

Lance can easily make out King Alfor and the Queen sitting next to their daughter; the King trying his best to explain one of his rash decisions in a past fight while his wife gives him one of those looks that convey both her love for him and questioning how on Altea she fell in love with him in just a single glance, Allura laughing happily between them at the story. 

 

Across from them sits Blaytz and next to him is Zarkon, both of which have helped Lance immensely in his training as a royal guard; both of them are among the spare few people that knows about his past, and some of the few he honestly feels close to. many times, during his training hours they will still join him and spar with him until he’s too tired to stand anymore, and even then they will stay by his side and talk with him about how his life is going and what’s been happening around the castle. 

 

Next to Alfor is Trigel, who is one of the smartest people Lance knows. At first she helped with Lance’s training much like Zarkon and Blaytz, until she had found out that Lance was practically illiterate and barely knew how to read or write in his own language. After that, she took it upon herself to teach him every chance she got; for awhile she even spent weeks in the castle teaching him everything about how to read and write, and not just in Altean but Galran and all of the other languages that the other planets use, while Coran and Alfor took it upon themselves to teach him about the history of Altea and science. Lance will honestly say that she is one of the strictest teachers he’s had, but he knows how caring and understanding she is and will take the time necessary to make sure he understood everything. 

 

The last person at the table is Gyrgan, who sits on the other side of Blaytz. His hearty laugh booming through the room as he sets down his drink with the utmost care. Lance hasn’t actually been able to have one on one time with him like the others; apparently his people have been struggling with some sort of crime ring that has had his attention for the last year or so. It was only until recently that he’s been able to leave his planet for any other reason besides Voltron. While Lance hasn’t had the opportunity to meet him, he’s heard enough tales about him from the others to know that he is both a power house of brute strength as well as a jovial and kind hearted person. Lance can tell that those claims are true, even in this first meeting; the way he knocks against Blaytz casually, almost knocking him out of his seat, and yet will pay attention to how he handles his cup and the objects around him with a gentle hand, Lance can easily tell that he would do anything to protect his friends and teammates, even from his own strength.

 

“so, Lance!” Blaytz calls out, snapping Lance’s attention to him. 

 

“ye-yes sir?” Lance asks, nervous of having been called out in a place where he was supposed to be more of a protective shadow,  a silent ghost that  _ shouldn’t  _ be put right on the spot! 

 

“what are your plans for Gorgory?”

 

Lance can’t help but bristle at the question, his back somehow getting straighter with painful tension. Gorgory was a holiday when families came together and celebrated the rise of the new decapheeb, as well as the joy that the last decapheeb has brought them; usually spent by giving compliments and gifts to one another. A holiday that has only given him grief and sorrow as well as an underlying layer of hatred. Lance has always deep down hated the holiday; reminding him of how truly alone he was and how no one cared for him. It was the day that his mother took him to the back alleyways of the slum and left him there with nothing but the clothes on his back; it was the day that Lance learned what living on the streets and considered nothing more than trash truly entailed.

 

Lance can’t tell if Blaytz noticed his rising discomfort with the topic, as he keeps going on with it, but it seems that the others have picked up on it with the worried looks that are passed around the table. 

 

“because if you don’t have anything going o-” Blaytz is interrupted as a glob of food splats right on his cheek out of nowhere.

 

“oops.” Allura squeaks out, directing attention from Blaytz to her in a heartbeat.

 

 Blaytz’s face morphs from surprise to a sly smirk as he lifts up his spork full of food, pointed straight at Allura; Alfor calls out his name in warning, but was too late, as Blaytz flings his food at Allura, only to miss and hit Alfor instead. Their fates were sealed once King Alfor had that devilish glint in his eyes as he somehow makes a plate of food seem so much more threatening than it actually is. 

 

It didn’t take long before everyone in the dining hall to joined in; Coran doing his best to keep most of the battle out of the Queen’s hair while Lance himself took up using one of the hover platters as a shield for the princess from the flying food goo. well, more like  _ trying  _ to protect Allura, it’s quite difficult to do so when she is chasing after almost everyone with her own plate, flinging her ammo left and right, hitting almost every target as Lance was trying to keep up with her. Joyful laughter erupting throughout the dining hall from everyone inside; no one in the room noticing as Coran and the Queen sneak out of the green splattered battlefield.

 

hours later, after everyone involved in the food fight was covered head to toe in goo and scolded by the kitchen staff, Lance carries a sleepy and freshly washed Allura back to her room as she does her best to fight off the yawns and drowsiness that plagues her. Lance can’t say that he’s completely mad about what happened, glad that his princess had fun today, and that she got to spend it with her father and the Paladins. He can also say that it was a fun evening for him as well; being able to hunker down with Grygan and team up with the boisterous man against Trigel and Blaytz while fending off attacks from Allura and Alfor from the rear. it was honestly the most fun he’s had in his lifetime. 

 

“Lance.”

 

startled out of his thoughts, Lance slowly turns around to see Zarkon catch up to them, his plated skin still having a sheen to them from his own shower. “yes sir?” Zarkon gives him a warm smile and ruffles his damp hair with his much larger hand.

 

 “I told you Lance, there is no need for such formalities here. Call me Zarkon.” Lance nods, but doesn’t try to correct himself, instead focused on regaining his grip on the sleeping princess in his arms, getting a sigh from the large galran before he continues on speaking. “I was just wondering if you were alright?  I know from experience how Blaytz can’t always read the mood of a room, but it seems that he had struck a chord with you.” Lance looks down to the floor, embarrassed that he was read so easily by the other. he had hoped the food fight would have covered up his displeasure of the previous topic.

 

A firm yet gentle hand on his shoulder pulls Lance to look back up at Zarkon, expecting to see disappointment or far too much curiosity about the reason why he had been so upset in the first place; but all Lance could see is acceptance and understanding. “I am sure that you are not ready to talk about what it may be yet, but just know that you are no longer alone young one. There are people here and on every planet of the alliance that cares about you and considers you family.Yes, Lance, even Honvera and myself see you as family. Don’t be afraid to rely on us, I promise you that we will be there for you when you need us.” Lance can only stare in shock at the Black Paladin, his eyes searching for any sign of a lie in what he had just heard, only to come up with nothing. “r-really?” Lance wishes that he could actually talk to these people without stuttering over his words every time; it would make him seem less like a scared animal and more confident in himself, but Zarkon doesn’t point it out and instead gives his shoulder a light squeeze in confirmation. “Yes. now, i must be heading on my way back to Diabazaal, but i wanted to say one more thing to you; Happy Gorgory Lance.” Zarkon whispers, gently placing his forehead against Lance’s before giving his shoulder one last squeeze and then walking past him on his way down to the hangars. 

 

Lance blinks owlishly after him, not sure what to think as emotions run rampant in his mind, before being reminded of the weight in his arms as the Princess shifts to try and get more comfortable. he shoves the raw and unusual feelings to the back of his mind as he continues his previous path towards the Princess’ bedroom. Once inside, he struggles to get the Princess to unwind her arms from around his neck in her half-asleep state, but manages to trade his neck for her stuffed klanmuuir which she gladly hugs to her chest as she rolls over in her bed, finally letting her dreams take hold and pull her into a deep sleep. Lance gets up from his crouched position by the plush bed and makes his way towards the cracked open door, quietly wishing her sweet dreams before softly letting the door close with a quiet click. 

 

usually, Lance would stay throughout the night until the early morning, but even he was exhausted by the turn of events from earlier and decided that the night shift would be enough protection for his princess. Even if something were to happen, he was right down the hallway from her room so he would be there as soon as he heard anything unusual, thanks to him being a light sleeper.

 

He shuffles into his room, ready to start making his bed with the linens he rarely used, only to find that the bed was already made and that upon his bed sits a multitude of wrapped gifts; each ranging in color schemes and sizes. Upon closer inspection he finds cards connected to each gift with a compliment towards him on all of them. all of the emotions that Lance had pushed aside throughout the last couple of hours come hurtling back to the forefront of his mind, escaping from him in tears and quiet sobs as he sees each of the paladins’ name on at least one box, sometimes even two of them. Zarkon’s words from before races through his mind as he tries his best to read the cards over and over again through his tears. 

 

_ “There are people here and on every planet of the Alliance that cares about you and considers you family.”  _

 

Lance wipes the tears from his eyes as he carefully starts to unwrap the first gift; it was from Coran and the odd mix match of two completely different wrapping papers. He couldn’t stop himself from crying even more when he sees the gift inside, a framed picture of the two of them, it was after he was cleared to start his duties as Princess Allura’s personal guard, Coran called it his graduation day. It was one of the happiest moments he’s ever had, and he had actually smiled for the picture.

 

He reread the card for what felt like the fifth time in a row,  _ “I am so proud of you my boy. You have come a long way from where you were and now you are growing more and more each day. You may disagree with it, but I consider you like a son, and you have given me so much joy this past year. Welcome to the family Lance. Happy Gorgory.” _

 

With each and every card, with each tear shed from happiness and an overwhelming array of emotions that he can’t seem to place, there signed on every one of them, are the words that Lance has always wanted to hear;  _ to our newest family member; happy Gorgory Lance. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos are always appreciated!


	5. What I wouldn’t give for you

He messed up. 

 

He should have seen it coming.

 

He should have moved faster; more aware of their surroundings. 

 

He should have just been better.

 

But he wasn’t. He isn’t. He’s only trash that should never have been picked up from the streets! Anyone else, even a farmer , would have been better! He failed because he wasn’t enough...and the Princess got hurt because of him.

 

They shouldn’t have held the ball that night; the Voltron Paladins has been recently fighting against a large criminal ring that had somehow grown and spread; starting in Rygnirath and has somehow extended to Altea and even Diabazaal. Usually, it wouldn’t take anytime for the team to root out everyone involved and have the whole thing put to rest, but it seems that the main leaders of the ring have always been one step ahead of them, the team always missing them just a tick too late. no matter how many lower level thugs they had imprisoned, no matter how many ‘generals’ they caught, there would always be new ones taking their places within days of their capture.

 

It was obvious what was happening; there was a mole somewhere within one of the kingdoms; maybe even multiple ones on different planets, although Lance is sure that the Paladins already know who the mole or moles are. He knew that if it was a noble or someone of high social standing they couldn’t strike out at them without proof of their treachery first. And with so many from all five planets, it was hard to know if this was the only one. It is a time of constantly being on guard of anything suspicious; and it was putting everyone on edge and second guessing every interaction. It was obvious though that the Paladins were closing in, and that only made tension higher.      

 

Yet they had assumed that it would all be fine during the Alliance Anniversary Ball: that nothing would happen within the Altean Castle bustling with the common people from every planet that was apart of the Alliance. Lance should have spoken up; he should have told them about his doubts about holding the ball, he should have said something! Anything! Even if it was to Coran, it might have made a difference.

 

They all should have realized that by allowing all of these people in, they were giving such easy access to those in the crime ring to not only the Castle but to the royal family and the other leaders. Why didn’t they think about it? Why didn’t he say anything about his worries? 

 

At first, everything was going great; the people were enjoying themselves immensely, music and laughter echoing throughout the hall while other guests were gorging themselves on the vast array of food that was brought from each planet. The music changing so much and so fluidly that many times you didn’t even realize that the song had actually changed to a completely different genre all together. Colorful dresses and just as colorful hair painting the whole ballroom in an ever changing array of tints and hues. anyone could easily be swept up in the bustling and lively energy of the whole ball. 

 

Standing off to the side of the ballroom, the Paladins of Voltron stand proudly by the throne; each of them dressed in garments that Lance could only ever picture royalty wearing, capes hanging off of broad shoulders and exquisite fabric hanging off of their frames making them seem more like gods than people.

 

They looked absolutely ethereal.

 

Beside King Alfor stood the beautiful Queen, looking regal and yet so approachable that Lance can only wonder how she does it so easily. Many people would have thought that the Princess would be standing beside them as well, looking just as untouchable as the other, but instead Allura and Lance were on the other side of the room. Allura had dragged Lance with her onto the dance floor to attempt to dance with, although even with all the lessons with the king and Coran he wasn’t that good at any of the formal dances. Lance knew that all of the pressure and tension about the mole had put his princess on high guard and has been given her more stress than someone her age should have, he had just wanted to let her have some fun for one night.

They shouldn’t have been so far away. They shouldn’t have left her father’s side. what was he thinking?! Why did he let her pull them away from the safest place in the ball?

 

Why didn’t he notice those people getting too close to them? Why didn’t he notice? Why didn’t he see the blade before it was already in front of his eyes? Why did he let Coran talk him into leaving his sword with him while they danced? He didn’t realize he had already moved in front of her, pulling Allura away from the attacker. But he couldn’t stop the fact that blade had already cut into her arm, he couldn’t stop the startled cry of pain, nor the tears that were spilling down her face. Hyper-aware of every person and movement around them now, Lance saw that the stranger was trying to take another shot at hitting her with his blade. His hand automatically goes to his hip to reach for the hilt of his sword, only for his hand to grasp at nothing. The attacker was moving too fast, Lance didn’t have anything to block the attack, he can’t let this man hurt his princess.

 

He can’t.

 

He won’t!

 

He won’t let him hurt her again!

 

Without any thought to his own being, Lance uses his own body as a shield, stifling any kind of cry of pain as the long blade slices through his clothing and into the flesh of his back. He feels every strike, gaining more and more strength with each blow. Strike after strike, each slash growing more desperate, they redirected the attacks from his back to his arms, most likely hoping to catch the princess with one of their strikes but Lance only huddles in closer to her, blocking each attack with his arms and legs. Soon most of his body is just filled with pain and covered in blood; one of the strikes must have hit him on his temple as he feels blood crawl down the side of his face, making it difficult to keep his eye open.

 

it must have only been a couple of ticks before the castle guards had swarmed the altean and disarm him, but to Lance it felt like hours. It felt just like before; just before he was found by his highness and Coran, but a hundred times worse. But now, it was just him anymore; he had to protect her, and he wasn’t going to let her get hurt because of him. he won’t let anyone hurt her. Not again. he would rather die all over again then to watch her get hurt  _ ever  _ again. Lance tightens his grip on the crying princess as he feels a hand on his shoulder, whether the reaction was from the instinct to protect, or from the all encompassing pain that shoots through him from the contact, Lance can’t really say. But he won’t stop protecting her,  he can’t let her get hurt again. even with the white spots clouding his sight, even with his body screaming at him to just give in to unconsciousness, even with the cold feeling crawling up his spine and through his limbs, he won’t stop.

 

‘It’s alright Lance, the threat is gone, the princess is safe. You did a good job, but now you need to let us take over; we need to help you now.” a smooth and deep voice whispers to him, he knows that voice from somewhere but he can’t focus on that now, he has to protect her. Strong yet gentle hands slowly pried Lance’s arms away from the small and sniffling girl. Lance wants to fight against the hands. He has to keep her safe! But the adrenaline that was once fueling him throughout his body was leaving him, and that he felt now was the pain and exhaustion. those same strong arms lift him from the floor, and leaving something else behind ...what was it? He had something in his arms, but its not there anymore….he...he needs it….he needs to protect it. He tries to get out of the arms holding him, but the voice from before whispers praises and reassurances that he had done his job, that the princess was safe. Lance can barely make out how fast the person... he knows their name ...but it’s just so hard to think right now ...is going through the halls, taking him away from the ballroom and into a room that is too bright, much too bright for his spotty vision. Lance scrunches his eyes shut, trying to block out the offending lights, and unknowingly slips into a pleasant unconsciousness.

 

~~~~

 

It felt too soon when Lance began to wake up; everything feeling hazy, unfocused, muffled to him as he tries to take in his surroundings without really committing to waking up all the way. The more time passes, the more Lance starts to wake up, the more he would really rather sleep for a bit more. He can pick out the whispering voices of Alfor and Coran, including the deep voice that had talked to him before; Zarkon’s. Realizing that Zarkon was the one that witnessed his freak out,  and had carried him all the way to the medical wing, Lance lets out an embarrassed groan, getting the attention of the adults in the room. 

 

“Lance! You’re awake!” Coran cheers loudly, Lance flinches at the volume of his voice only to gasp at the pain that races through him at the sudden movement. “Take it easy Lance, you took some serious damage young man and we don’t want it getting any worse.” Alfor chides, thankfully speaking much quieter than Coran had. Zarkon takes up the other side of the medical bed and carefully cards his fingers through Lance’s hair in a comforting manner. “You gave us quite the scare there Lance, you had passed out before we could even think about what to do.” Zarkon explains in a soft rumble, Coran takes over explaining, “We’ve been watching your vitals to make sure you didn’t leave us completely, and we have done what we can to help stop the bleeding, but you will definitely need to spend time in the pod. We were waiting to make sure that you were awake before we placed you inside.” Lance tries to nod along to the explanation, stopping immediately when his body revolted against the movement and made the whole room spin uncontrollably. 

 

“Also, Allura has been begging to see you. Apparently you gave her quite the fright as well.” Alfor says, his unasked question hanging thickly in the air.  _ would it be alright if she sees you?  _  Lance gives an affirmative hum and watches as Alfor turns away from him and gives a signal to what Lance can only assume are guards stationed at the door. 

 

As soon as the doors swished open, Lance could hear the approaching click clacks of Allura’s shoes as she races through the doors and almost jumps up onto Lance’s bed. Thankfully, she stops just short of doing so and waits there for a bit, getting a small nod of Coran’s head before she carefully crawls up onto the empty side of his bed. her eyes are red from crying and it’s obvious that she’s been worrying at her lips if the torn skin has anything to say. Lance slowly lifts his uninjured arm and pets her hair, getting a hiccupy sob from her as she crashes her face into his chest as she cries, rambling about how scared she was and thanking him for keeping her safe and yelling at him to never do such a thing ever again. All the while, Lance pets her head, letting her get her worries and fear out before anything else. As she continues to cry, he notices the bandage wrapped around her forearm, held there by a pink sparkly sticker, and he can’t help but breathe a little easier knowing that she was okay now.

 

Once her cries end and she lifts her head from his chest, he tries to put on his best smile and with a quiet voice says “ I am truly sorry for worrying you so much princess. I can’t promise that this won’t happen again, but I promise to be more careful in the future.” sealing his promise with a kiss to her knuckles. King Alfor comes up and picks Allura up off of Lance, saying “Alright now, Lance must be put into the pod so he can heal and be okay.” Allura nods knowingly, most likely already having been told this, but immediately stops and starts to wiggle out of Alfor’s arms “Wait! I forgot something!” she scurries back up onto the gurney and pulls something out from the pocket of her dress and shows it to Lance. a sparkly bandage, just like the one on her arm. She carefully takes it out of the paper wrapping and then with a determined look on her face, places the pink band aid onto the clean cut on his temple. once she was sure that it was on correctly, she whispered into his ear “Please get better soon.”

 

Through the pain, he gives her a strong nod before Alfor takes her back up into his arms as Zarkon and Coran help Lance get into the healing pod as carefully as possible. The last thing he sees as the glass begins to fog up and the pod lures him into another deep sleep is Allura waving to him. a small smile, barely even there, grows as he lets sleep take him. 

 

It was always odd coming out of the pods; to those outside it takes hours, yet to those who are in, it is as though you just close your eyes for one second and then the next you’re out of the pod good as new. It always felt a bit odd to him to only feel like he has been inside for a second and for everyone to be clamoring to see him again as though it has been a lifetime; but this time he didn’t mind it when Allura jumped on him as soon as the glass faded away, her tears starting to come back anew as she buries her head into his stomach. “It is alright Princess, I am alright now.” he pets her head as she squeezes him even more than before. He hears the doors open and looks up to see Zarkon walking in; not wearing any sort of armour or even anything that states his status; rather he was wearing some of the spare nightwear that oddly color matched with his Voltron Lion and…..is he wearing Black Lion slippers? You know what, question for another time.

 

 “Zarkon? Sir, what are you doing here? The Ball must have been finished days ago?” 

 

Zarkon gives him a bewildered look, as though he had said something crazy, but it is replaced with a knowing and tender look as he swiftly crosses the room and joins in the “crushing Lance with hugs” club as Allura only seems content in never letting go of him. “You scared us all Lance; what you did was both extremely selfless and brave but was also one of the most foolish things i have ever seen. I’m not sure what I- we would do without you Lance. You have to remember that there are people who care about you. You have to be more careful with your life.” Zarkon says in that deep low voice again, whispering it into his hair as he cards his hand through his hair like before. Completely caught off guard by it all, Lance merely nods his head and returns the gesture to both of them. 

 

It took both Alfor and Coran to finally free Lance from his hug prison ( even though after they found him out of the pods, they too joined in on completely encompassing him. ) and sent him to go change into a new set of clothes. He then of course had to dodge the same thing from happening again with Blaytz and Grygan. Thankfully, Trigel wasn’t one for huge displays of affection, but she also gave him a swift once over and a quick yet all encompassing hug as well.  

 

Later that day; as Lance was making his rounds around the Castle that he saw Zarkon again, this time in the usual royal attire that he usually wears, making his way through the halls. “ Hello Zarkon, sir.” he calls out, seeming to almost startle the Galran. “Ah, Lance, I was actually looking for you.” Lance follows him through the halls until they get to a more secluded part of the castle where they won’t be in the way of the usual hustle and bustle of the Castle life. Just as he was about to ask what it was that he needed, Zarkon leaned in close and rested his head on Lance’s, wrapping him in another hug, although this one much more loose and giving him the option to break it easily. It was silent between the two of them for a few moments; the only sound between them is their breathing, before Zarkon breaks the silence. “Honestly, you can be so reckless. I thought we all had conveyed this to you before, but it seems that you still do not value your life at all. I had wanted to say all of this before, but it felt like it was the wrong time, and I did not want Allura to get mad at me. Do you know why all of us put so much effort into training you and teaching you everything that we could? It wasn’t because Alfor asked us, or so that you could be the best bodyguard you could be…. It is because we all care about you. We all see you like a part of our family. I know that Trigel is always so proud of you whenever you beat those lousy guards into place or when you reach a new level in the training room. Even Grygan, even though you two have only recently met, he cares about you deeply. Alfor honestly acts like he did with Allura with you; bragging about you whenever he can. I know that Blaytz and Coran see you like a son…. _ I  _ see you like a son. So to see you let yourself be hurt that badly without any hesitation, that scared all of us to our cores. I am proud that you put your duty above everything else, but please remember that you are apart of a family. So if there is ever a next time, please make sure that  _ both  _ of you make it out with barely a scratch.” 

 

Lance feels something drop onto his head and looking up at the bent over Galran, he realizes that Zarkon is crying. For him. Thinking back, all of the paladins had looked exhausted and just like Zarkon, had looked as though they had been spending their nights at the castle. Had they ...had they all stayed to make sure that he was alright? He must have been in the pod for days and all of them stayed to make sure he was okay. But….”But why? I- I’m nothing important.” he didn’t understand, why do they care? Why are they putting so much of their love into someone like him? “I-I don’t understand.” he wishes his voice wasn’t so wobbly, he wishes he wasn’t crying...why was he crying? Why did hearing all of that make his heart feel both heavy and light. It… it…… 

 

“Shush Lance, it is alright. I am sorry, I did not mean to make you upset. I know that the words I said are confusing, and you don’t understand everything I just said, but please at least understand this… everything i said is the absolute truth, never doubt that.” 

 

Those next few moments were once again quiet, the only sound to be heard in the entire corridor being the small gasps of air from Lance as he cries and tries to understand what it was that all of these amazing people saw in someone like him. 

 

“Never doubt it Lance. Never.”


	6. Truth by the fire lights

Deafening thunder seemed to echo through the empty halls of the castle, putting many of the residents on edge. This firestorm is one of the worst ones they have had this entire season, probably the worst in the last few years; staff of the castle who live in town aren’t even permitted to leave because it’s just too dangerous. Thankfully, it’s in times of need that people band together, or at least that’s what Coran says, as those who did live inside of the castle offer up their rooms and set about preparing all of the extra guest rooms for everyone. Even Lance had offered to let one of the new maids use his room for the night; although she did seem nervous to accept his offer, it wasn’t like Lance would actually be in his room for the night. Or most nights. He usually stands guard outside of Allura’s room until the night shift comes in and takes up their positions, and even then Lance usually doesn’t go back to his room anyways, choosing to still stay close by his princess just in case. Sleep just doesn’t always seem that important to him, that’s all.

 

As Lance recounts the number of times he has actually stayed in his room through the whole night on one hand, another crack of thunder lights up the black sky and the rolling thunder almost hide the small sharp gasp that came from the room behind him. Lance quickly snapped out of his thoughts and rushes into Allura bedroom, doing a quick look around looking and listening for any noises; although it was considerably more difficult with how the heated rocks ram against the castle leaving a constant heavy drumming all around the whole castle.  when he didn’t hear anything else, chalking it up to one of the mice that seem to roam around the castle now and again. Lance went back to standing guard at Allura’s door, keeping a sharp eye out for anything. It wasn’t long before another strike of lightning flashes through the windows accompanied by a boisterous crackle of thunder; and this time Lance hears the whimper loud and clear through the storm, coming from the princess’ room. hastily, he enters the trim once again, hand automatically gripping the handle of his sword and ready to strike at…..nothing. there was noone in the room, in fact he didn’t even see the princess at first, causing Lance to fervently look over the room twice more before seeing that her bed was barren of her stuffed animals and most of the sheets as well. another thunder crack reverberates through the room, along with it a hitch of a shaky breathe from the closet doors.

 

Lance opens the doors to find Allura huddled on the floor, blankets draped over top of one another over her shaking form and many of her stuffed animals huddled around her as if to shield her from the storm. 

“princess?” he says gently, placing his hand upon the mound of blankets where he believes her head would be. there’s a murmur that he couldn’t quite catch before a small dark hand peeks out from the blankets and starts to grasp around before finally landing on Lance’s hand and squeezes it in a silent plea.  _ Don’t leave.  _

 

he can’t help but smile at just how such a small gesture can speak volumes between them now after the years of being in her service. carefully, so as not to disturb the army of stuffed animals, he crawls into the closet and sees his princess uncurl from herself and looks up at him, most of her face still hidden within the sheets but he can see her eyes have an extra shine to them from unshed tears. Lance opens his mouth to ask what was wrong when once more, a thunderous roar of fire rocks and thunder beat across the castle, startling Allura into burying her face into her free arm, trying to hide from the sounds of the storm outside.

 

“Princess Allura? are you scared of the storm?”

 

“.......no.” 

 

it was a flat out lie and both of them knew it, it was silent for only a few seconds before she said in a disappointed whisper, “I’m too old to be scared of storms, a princess shouldn’t be scared of something as silly as a storm.” It didn’t even sound like it was her words, more as though she was repeating someone else. Lance makes a small note to himself to find out who exactly said that to her; but later, right now he is needed in the here and now.

 

“I used to be scared of storms, I still am.” Allura looks up from her arm and looks at him as though she had never thought of him being scared of something. he nods to prove that he was in fact telling the truth.  “but why?” Lance hesitates; he knows that he can’t make up a story about why, he's a terrible liar and Allura will know that it’s not the truth. Lance has never knowingly told her a lie, and if he did so now, it would most likely break her trust in him. And he never wants to hurt her like that. But he also knows that his past was something he had hoped to keep secret from her for a bit longer, just until she was a bit older. But he knows that this may be the only time he’ll ever have the chance to tell her properly. 

 

What he’s about to tell her is a long story and he’s not sure about her but his elbows are starting to hurt from holding his weight, let alone the fact that he is sticking halfway out of the closet. “before I tell you, how about we make things a little more comfortable, hmm?” with a very enthusiastic nod from the young princess, they both crawl out of the mound of blankets and the closet and stare at it as it deflates into a large puddle. “ so what should we do?” she asks, hugging a stuffed yalmor close to her chest. Lance looks at the dejected pile of covers, when he remembers something that he’s heard some of the maids talk about before during their breaks when sharing stories of their home life.

 

“We’ll make a cover castle!”

 

“A cover castle? what’s that?” 

 

“I’ve heard that’s what a lot of kids do; they take all of the pillows and blankets they can find and make a small home with them. they call them cover castles.” Lance explains, already getting to work of pulling the blankets free of each other. “well, what do we need?” Allura asks excitedly, completely on board with the idea. Lance stops his work, to look a bit abashed, “I don’t really know. I’ve never made one before.” Allura doesn’t say anything for a few moments before she says “well then we’ll figure it out! I’ll go get all my pillows!” she runs and almost attacks her bed, grabbing as many pillows as she can in her arms. 

 

It took quite a bit of work, and with a few failed attempts as well, but they finally got a stable ‘cover castle’ and in the end, their cover castle was pretty amazing. they had decided to move the structure into the middle of her room, chairs and other furniture became support beams and the like to keep the blankets from collapsing in on them. Leftover blankets and pillows from everywhere in the room was padding the floor, making it seem as though the whole floor underneath their blanket dome was covered in a plush mattress with sheets strewn about over it. Allura had even taken to turning on firelights and letting them float inside to give them light. And of course they couldn’t forget about the stuffed animals as well; he had let Allura decided their ‘stations’ throughout the cave, most of them just sprinkled around the large mound of pillows and blankets in the middle and only her bravest and strongest animals standing guard at the entrance.

 

While Lance was turning off the main lights in the room Allura crawls into their cozy looking cove, making sure that her shoes were off and getting herself comfortable under the blankets while waiting eagerly for Lance to join her. 

 

He crawls into their ‘castle’ and works about making sure that his sword wasn’t in the way but still close enough to where he can reach it in a moments notice. with his shoes placed outside of the cover castle along side Allura’s, he makes himself comfortable and looks at Allura’s patient gaze and with a heavy sigh, he starts to tell her about his life, trying his best to leave some of the more harsh and unpleasant moments out as possible. 

 

How he was left in the streets when he was just barely a child, the struggles of trying to find food and shelter and wondering where the next meal would come from. He told her of how during firestorms he had to cower under the lips of houses and buildings or use scrap metal as shoddy make-shift shields. He told of the fight ring and the how each fight lost only brought him closer and closer to losing hope on everything; he told her about his first win and the first real meal he could actually pay for, even if it was barely anything than what he gets now, that it was still the best meal he had had in his entire life, he told of how her father and Coran had come by him, beaten and broken and ready to just accept fate. He told her everything about himself and his life before her, how scared he was every day of so many things, and not having anyone to go to for support.

 

He told her of how he was still scared; scared of her getting hurt on his watch, of losing the family that he had managed to cobble together and ending up all alone again. He told her how he still gets scared of the firestorms, but how instead of cowering like he used to, he becomes more vigil in his duties to the point of making himself sick sometimes. He told her that even though he has gone through so much and has grown much faster than anyone should, he still gets scared. It’s just a matter of what he does with the fear that makes him brave or not.

 

By the time he gets to talking about joining the castle’s staff and training to become her personal guard,  Allura had moved from her spot across from him and had wormed her way right next to him, holding onto his waist and burrowing her head into his stomach, her unshed tears no longer for the storm raging outside. 

 

“I-I’m sorry princess. I didn’t mean to-”

 

“Don’t apologize.”

 

“but-”

 

her grip on his waist only gets tighter as she mumbled into his shirt “ Don’t apologize about telling me your life. because now I can help protect your life too. just like you do mine.” 

 

She looks up to him and says clear as day, “you should never have gone through that; you’re always so kind and considerate of others; you work so hard every day of your life. I wish I could have been there to save you years ago, but I know that all I can do is help you now. Please remember that you’re not alone anymore, and that just as you care about keeping all of us safe, we all will help keep you safe too. Promise.” She holds her pinkie finger to him, a serious look on her face softened by the tears still streaming down her cheeks.

 

Lance doesn’t have the heart to tell her that’s not exactly how it works, but he knows deep down that she has already committed to keeping Lance’s past safe with her, and with it any of the dangers that may come from it as well. he simply wraps his arms around her, completely forgoing the pinkie swear and just merely holding her close as she lets the rest of her tears out. They let the warm moment envelope both of them; the soft pattering of a lull in the storm as the only sound in the room. 

 

~~~~~~

 

Coran opens the door to the princess’ room; checking to make sure that she was alright since he saw no sign of Lance at the front door. 

 

he knows how Allura can get shaken by harsh firestorms, and had wanted to come in earlier to check on her, but with trying to help stop fires in the gardens to helping maids and cooks and the like find rooms for the night and to call their families to let them know they were going to be alright, it took him hours to even find the time to make it down to the royal chambers. Coran had expected to find Lance standing ever diligently outside her door, but was shocked to see his usual place empty, and he knows that he’s not in his own room, having helped a young maid, however flustered she may have been, prepare the room for the night.

 

It was heartwarming to see that even though Lance does not spend much time in his room or trying to decorate it with Knick knacks or with drapery like many others do, he still had a bit of charm in the quite barren room. But it was really barren to say, more like he just hasn’t found his way of expressing himself in his environment. Rather, what lines the shelves were the gifts that both he and many of the Paladins and staff have given him. Those are his only and most treasured possessions besides his sword. It wasn’t a whole lot, but it was enough to bring him to tears. 

 

He had wanted to check on Lance anyways, knowing how he can get during times like these; so to see that he wasn’t there was both surprising as well as alarming. There have been times during firestorm seasons where Lance has worked himself so hard that he collapsed in the many winding halls from exhaustion. 

 

But when Coran stepped into the room and saw the large dome of blankets in the middle of room, held up by bedposts and chairs alike, fire lights floating inside but considerably less bright than they usually are giving off the faint silhouette of someone inside. He looks inside and can’t help but take a quick picture of what he saw.

 

There, on the dozens of cushions and wrapped in almost as many blankets, lay both Lance and the princess; Allura sleeping soundly as her head is pillowed by Lance’s chest, with Lance’s arm draped over her form. His other hand tucked under one of the pillows where his sword must be hidden away from sight. but Coran can see the way Lance’s face and form doesn’t hold any tension, the way his face seems free of any trouble or plight. It was nice to see him actually be asleep, worry free of anything that weighs his shoulders down. Coran quickly grabs the fire lights and turns them off, draping the room in a soft welcoming darkness. 

 

“Good night you two. Sweet dreams.”


	7. Broken

None of this should be happening. 

 

Zarkon should never have tricked them into going into the rift. 

 

He was 

 

Zarkon shouldn’t have died. no matter how much he hurt them,or how he tricked them, he didn’t deserve to die.

 

Even after betraying everyone, he didn’t deserve to die. Not like that. 

 

Zarkon shouldn’t be alive.

 

Their planet shouldn’t be in the middle of a war they were so unprepared for. Their planet and their people shouldn’t be destroyed in front of their very  eyes because of the echoes of the one man they thought they could have trusted with everything. That Lance  _ did  _ trusted with everything. 

 

His princess shouldn’t be asleep in the cyropod. 

 

She should be awake, laughing and smiling as they do their usual morning spar session; she should be pouting when he gets the upper hand, she should be moving with the grace from years of training as a noblewoman and as a fighter. She shouldn’t be so…...still. after all of the years being by her side, it’s unnerving to see her look so still and lifeless. Her last plea to her father echoing inside his head as he tries to look at her through the frosted glass. 

 

Lance places his hand on to the glass, trying all he can to feel for some sort of rhythm. A pulse. A heartbeat. Anything to confirm what he already knows.  She’s just asleep; waiting for who knows how long alongside the Black lion. Both of them soon to be locked away from their enemies grasps. From anyone’s prying eyes for what will most likely be years. Until the threat of Zarkon is gone and the universe is finally at peace again. 

 

He can still remember the look of concern and her usual stubbornness showing as she argues with her father, trying to get him to use Voltron to fight back against Zarkon’s forces, to make a stand instead of running away. Lance standing by her side, sword at the ready as the castle shakes with the battles that are lighting up the sky before them, explosions decorating the darkened sky in a disastrously beautiful way. Buildings falling one by one as the Galra gains more ground and destroying every altean they find and everything they as a people have created together for hundreds of years. Everything they had to protect crumbling to the burning ground and leaving nothing but death and destruction in its wake. King Alfor walks up to his daughter, his face forlorn and already mournfully accepting the fact that everyone else in the room besides Allura has come to realize. 

 

everything they wished to protect was already gone.

 

the only things left to protect from the Galra; the only things they could save from their betrayal was voltron. 

 

and Allura. 

 

Lance didn’t stop king Alfor from approaching Allura, nor did he stop him from sending a small burst of magic into her, her desperate cry to her father pleading to him to not give up. her desperate cry to Lance as she falls unconscious, a cry that Lance knows will haunt him til his dying breath. He instinctually catches her as she falls and in that moment, he knows that in a way, he betrayed her too. but this is a betrayal that he will gladly burden as long as he knows that she will be safely tucked away in the castle. Away from the danger that is all around them; that threatens to take every single one of them away if they aren’t careful.

 

Somehow, Lance was able to tear his eyes away from the sleeping princess and watched as King Alfor and Coran shared quiet words as he sets up two more pods. Lance can’t help but watch as the two men who have given him so much and helped him grow and learn and become the young man he is today hold each other in a crushing embrace, tears slipping past Coran’s eyes and wetting the King’s shirt; so much said between them with just that one simple embrace, and yet still so much is left unsaid. The embrace, while intense, was quick and then both of the men’s attention turn to Lance, who has stayed quiet throughout the whole disaster. 

 

Alfor walks up to him and place his hand onto his shoulder, somehow keeping his voice even and calm. “Lance, I have prepared a cyropod for you as well-”

 

“No.”

 

the strength and conviction that was spoken startled all three of them, but Lance was able to hide his fear and continued speaking; 

 

“I’m sorry my king, but I won’t hide from this fight.”

 

“Lance…”

 

“I know what you’re going to do; you’re going to go and fight Zarkon head on. You are giving Coran an opening to get the castle out of the galaxy. I’m not going to let you fight alone.”

 

“Lance, please. this is not your fight.” 

 

“Quiznak ‘it’s not my fight’!” Lance screams, the tears that he had to keep locked away ever since he had learned of the death of the man who had helped raise him, who he saw as a father figure just like he does Coran and Alfor. The one who he had assumed once saw him as his own child, the one who is destroying everything he thought he wanted to protect, all of the emotions he’s kept bottled up finally comes streaking down his cheeks in frustration. “I’m not going to let you fight him alone! I know that Allura wouldn’t want that and I don’t want it either! I will fight by your side! For Altea! for you!....for Allura.” 

 

The silence seems almost unbearable, the only thing breaking it was the constant shaking from the battle outside. Coran walks up beside King Alfor, and quietly asks, “Do you know what you’re asking to do, my boy?” 

 

Lance nods with a somber expression. “I know this is going to be a suicide mission. I know that I’m not going to make it out of this fight. But I need to do this…” Lance can feel his hands start to shake, only making him hold his sword’s hilt even harder, making his knuckles turn white, “I have to do this. He didn’t just betray voltron, he didn’t just betray the alliance; he betrayed Allura. He betrayed me. I have to join the fight against him, i know it’s walking to death’s door, but I’ve been dodging death for a long time. I know deep down that I would never be able to look at Allura knowing that I didn’t at least try and protect you, my king. If for anything else, I’ll do this for her.” Lance heaves as he finally takes in a breath from his spur of the moment speech, but he got what he needed to off his chest. 

 

Alfor heaves a sigh before giving a nod, and Coran and he both swallow him up in a much needed hug; Coran blubbering and making him promise to never give up until his dying breath, Alfor being silent the whole time, but by the way that side of his uniform jacket was starting to feel damp, Lance can tell that he is just as torn up by all of this, but he doesn’t say anything to point it out. 

 

Walking alongside Alfor into the red lion, he stands at the ready behind the paladin’s chair, sword and blaster on him and adrenaline already racing through his veins. they shoot out of the castle and make their way towards Zarkon’s own battleship. Coran pops up on the screen, relaying how much time he needs to get the castle out of system in order to wormhole to a safe solar system where it, and its inhabitants, will be safe from the Galra.  

 

“Thank you Coran, well give you as much time as we can give you. Stay safe.” 

 

“You should heed your own advice my friends...Goodbye.” Coran says mournfully, getting King Alfor and Lance to wish him goodbye as well. With that the video connection cuts out with another hit to the castle and Alfor turns back to Lance, his blade already in his hands and his shoulders squared. “Are you ready, Lance?”

 

Lance draws out his own sword and with the conviction that a 19 year old shouldn’t have he says, “ready as I’ll ever be.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The battle should have lasted longer. 

 

But it didn’t.

 

He should have been stronger. Faster. 

 

But he wasn’t.

 

For awhile, it felt like they were actually holding their own against their corrupt friend, but they should have known better.  _ He  _ should have known better. He has been fighting Zarkon for ages now, sparring with him, training with him. He should have seen that the man was just playing with them, not even putting his all into the fight. They should have realized it, but their emotions clouded their eyes, or maybe it was the tears that Lance was barely holding gback as he had to actually fight one of the people he has never wanted to fight. Their only focus was on their own goals than the fact that they were letting themselves fall right into his hands.

 

As they continued to attack against Zarkon, it should have been obvious to them that he was only blocking their blows, that he wasn’t actually trying to make an offensive stance, but then the battle had switched. Within one tic the tides had turned on them; how Zarkon held himself changed, and with his first strike he made Lance crash back from the blow, skidding against the bridge they had found themselves on throughout the fight, his sword flew from his hands as his breath is also forced from his grasp as he collides into the stone. 

 

But Lance doesn’t let the shortness of breath and the way his vision has black spots dancing about stop him. He snatches his sword once more and turns around and goes back into the fray, letting muscle memory and the stances he learned from all their years together to dictate where his sword goes to block each powerful strike from Zarkon’s bayard, the force of each blow making him continuously move farther and farther back until his foot finds the edge of the bridge. 

 

That’s where he messed up. 

 

He shouldn’t have messed this up.

 

He should have been paying attention to where he was going, he should have noticed how Alfor had started to draw away from the fight, he should have done the same, but all of those memories came creeping forward and all he could to fight them was to fight the man that ruined it all. that destroyed everything. but he should have been more aware; even after all these years he should have known to not let his emotions cloud his thoughts and actions, and yet here he is, doing just that.

 

In the middle of a losing battle. 

 

Once again, Zarkon clashes his bayard against his sword, swiftly raising his weapon again and bringing it down on to Lance as he tries to steady himself at the edge of the bridge, the blade of his bayard cutting into the meat of his shoulder and stopping deploy into his shoulder. His cry of pain echoing through the battlefield as he crumbles to the ground, grasping onto consciousness as he urges and pleads his body to get back up, to stand up and fight. but his body, tired and injured, refuses, and he can feel his mind slipping as much as his hand is in the growing pool of blood. He tries to get his other arm to work but it’s too painful….too painful to even think about that side of his body. Everything on that side is just a white noise that isn’t helping him stay in the present; and he can’t keep slipping like this. He’s in the middle of a battle, he-he can’t get distracted again.

 

Completely unable to help, trapped within his pain riddled body and unable to move, Lance is helpless as he watches as the two rulers face off against one another. In complete agony, he watches as Zarkon strikes down his king. He watches as Zarkon walks over to his collapsed form, chuckling to himself as Lance does his best to seem threatening in even the slightest sense of the word. But as soon as he even tries to move the steering pain in his shoulder tripled and he’s gagging on the air around him in pain. 

 

“You believe that you can threaten me? There is nothing about you within this moment that could be considered ‘threatening’.” 

 

Zarkon doesn’t even blink at him with his dead yellow eyes, merely picking him up from his neck, making it even harder for him to catch a full breath. 

 

It’s so hard to breath.

 

His shoulder hurts so much. 

 

It’s so hard to think beyond those facts and that he had failed the royal family.

 

Again. 

 

First he had abandoned Allura. Now he has failed his King when he needed him the most.

 

Lance tries hard to fight back, to do anything. Somehow getting his body, screaming in pain,  to finally react and scratch and claw at the powerful arm making it hard to breath. He can feel the cuts and bruised bones scream at him to stop moving, the way his visions swims and his lungs scream at him to fill them, even with the ash filled air around them. He knows that it won’t do any good, but he has to fight til his last breath; he promised Coran he would and he’s already broken enough promises today. He won’t break another one. 

 

Zarkon only chuckles at Lance’s last ditch effort, bringing him closer to his twisted face. 

 

A face that held such warmth and kindness, it’s unnerving to see the face that also have him those proud smiles give him one that is so cold and empty of anything that was once there. 

 

His vision is slowly being taken over by the darkness, and with every movement he forces himself to make, he can feel his strength in his good arm weaken and weaken.

 

This is it. This is how he does. At the hands of the one person he thought would never betray him.

 

“Oh, do not worry my little knight.” 

 

Lance glares at Zarkon; how dare he calls him that now, after everything he’s done.

 

He may be dying, but he won’t do it without fighting every tic of the way.

 

“I’m not going to kill you like I did Alfor.”

 

It becomes even harder to see, the blackness that was once dancing through his vision now encompassing it entirely, the consciousness that he had gripped onto so hungrily slipping through his fingers.

 

the last thing he heard scaring him far more than anything he’s ever faced in his life.

 

“I have much different plans for you.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Shiro hasn’t been in the gladiator ring for long ( at least, he hopes it hasn’t been too long. he has no idea how long he last saw Matt and Dr. Holt.) but even though he is considered “fresh meat” in the ring, he’s already heard many contradicting stories about the fighter locked away in the stasis pod that hangs above the ring. 

 

Many of the slaves call him the king of the Gladiators; how he had been one of the first to fight in the ring and to be proclaimed as the first champion of this twisted ring. Shiro has never really had a name to call him; many only call him “The First” or “King”. Some of the older fighters have even called him the God of all fights. Then there are the wilder stories that follow the frozen man are even crazier than the names; many claim that he was from their planet, or that he is the last of a long dead race extinguished by the Galra empire. Of course, no one has ever been able to get a good look at what species he was since he was up so high; only a few have ever been able to gaze long enough at it...And they are usually the ones that do not survive the fight.

 

Some have claimed that they have even fought against him in the ring, but no one ever really believes such claims; because if you lose in the ring, you die in the ring. but the stories and rumors surrounding him are so strange that Shiro can never tell whats real or not.

 

That is until during one of Shiro’s battles; he was thrown into the air, almost able to touch the invisible shields that keep him locked in this hell battle and he was finally able to see who the man inside of the pod is; and the horror that paints his face as he realizes that he looks like a kid, just a bit younger than himself. two blades by his sides covered in dried blood.

 

When he was trapped inside his prison above the arena; he was in pure heart-breaking agony.

 

**Author's Note:**

> make sure to leave a kudos if you like this! And if you really liked it, go ahead and leave a comment too! Thank you for reading!


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